Dr. Murray Feingold: Take care with medicine

Dr. Murray Feingold

Wednesday

Nov 24, 2010 at 12:01 AMNov 24, 2010 at 11:18 AM

When a medication becomes old, it also becomes weaker, and that is why the expiration date is usually a year after it is prescribed. Find out how to properly dispose of your drugs and keep a clean medicine cabinet.

Americans, young and old, are taking more medications then ever before.

In one study, it was reported that 81 percent of older individuals take at least one drug, and 29 percent take five drugs.

Therefore, in most households there are many types of medications that are stored away in various cabinets or under a bathroom sink. One reason why they are stored away and not thrown away is because the person believes that he or she or a family member may need them again when they have a similar illness.

However, when a medication becomes old, it also becomes weaker, and that is why the expiration date is usually a year after it is prescribed. But what should you do with these drugs when they are no longer needed, especially if they are beyond their expiration date?

The Food and Drug Administration has guidelines to help. First, the medications should be removed from their containers. The FDA then suggests that you mix them with some type of undesirable substance, such as coffee grinds.

The reason is to make them less appealing to inquisitive children who have some type of hidden radar that enables the little urchins to locate all of the things that mom and dad don't want them to have. The same goes for pets.

An added benefit in disguising them is that it also prevents the medications from falling into the hands of people who intentionally go through your trash, and there are such people. However, before putting the medications in the household trash, they should be placed in a sealable bag or container to prevent them from leaking out of the garbage bag.

Another recommendation is to remove all of the information on the prescription label, including your name. The FDA also recommends that certain drugs should be flushed down the toilet. These are drugs that are particularly harmful, such as powerful pain medications including Demerol, morphine, Percocet, Percodan and Oxycontin.

In some communities there are "drug take-back" programs and your town hall may have information concerning them. It is not recommended to give your unused medications to someone else, such as a family member or close friend.

If you have any questions concerning disposing your medications, discuss them with your pharmacist.

Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of The Feingold Center for Children, medical editor of WBZ-TV and WBZ radio, and president of the Genesis Fund. The Genesis Fund is a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects, mental retardation and genetic diseases.

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